The Gift Of Love
by Nazgul67
Summary: In bad times, everyone is poor. Can Amy Rose raise enough money to buy a gift for her boyfriend, Sonic, or will she go without a loving Christmas?
1. Chapter 1

Amy Rose bit her lip as she watched the snowflakes fall gently down to the ground out of the window. She watched strong men and busy women up and down the streets, rushing to shops and pavement stalls, in hope of finding the perfect present for their loved ones. Looks like everyone was having a good Christmas...everyone except her.

"Five dollars," Amy said to herself, as she sat on a dusty torn apart sofa, tears forming at her eyes. "How can five dollars be enough to buy him a Christmas present?" she asked. And we all know who _he _is. He is Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog. They had been dating in happiness since the past six years. But now she couldn't even buy him a present to show how much she loved him.

Now, Amy's long pink hair had been the pride of her since she was fourteen. It went down to her waist, and had such beautiful curls and twists, that she nearly looked like an angel from heaven itself.

While Amy was lamenting to herself, tears in her eyes, looking out the window, a small dull pavement building caught her eye. It was very small, and was obviously a cheap building, with dull dark pale paint, a black door, and two cute snow-filled arch-shaped windows."Fair Hair: Sweet Cuts" a sign at the building's forehead read.

Amy turned around and reached for her handbag. Inside it, she put in an empty purse, and walked right out of her apartment, closing the door behind her. She headed to the tiny shop in the corner.

* * *

><p>Amy looked around. The small hair salon was falling to pieces. It had chipped paint, holes in the walls, cobwebs in the corner, and most curiously, a small counter made with an up-turned box. Geez, Amy thought to herself, this girl must be really poor. "Hello. My name is Cream." the girl at the cardboard counter said. "How can I help you?" Her voice was like music. It was sweet and sour at the same time, nevertheless cute. One would immediately feel the urge to give her the money she needed badly.<p>

Amy smiled sweetly and turned to face the girl. She looked half her own age. "Cream," Amy said, testing the name on her lips. "Cream, I want you to..." she said, climbing onto the hair-dressing chair.

Cream looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" she asked, innocently.

Amy bit her lip once more. It was harder than she thought it would be, saying what she had in mind to say. "I want you to..."

She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She didn't want to do this. But to no avail. She _had _to buy Sonic a Christmas present, so she _had _to raise money, so she _had _to do this.

"I want you to," she said again. She took a dramatic pause before saying, "Cut ALL my hair off."

"What?" Cream asked. "What did you say?"

"I said - chop all my hair off! Quickly! Now!" she said, tears falling from her eyes.

Cream backed away a little at this. She must have thought her new customer was insane, because the look on her face gave it all away.

"O-o-okay," Cream said, with a nervous tone in her voice. Taking her shampoo and scissors, she set to work.

* * *

><p>Snip! snip! Amy watched horrified as the first 20 inches of her beautiful pink hair fell to the floor. She <em>knew<em> this wouldn't be so easy.

At last, all her hair was chopped off. Instead of having beautiful sea of 40 inches, she had short hair that reached only down to her shoulders.

"Wow! You have such beautiful hair!" Cream cried out, bending down to pick up the remains of Amy's hair on the floor, admirably.

Amy didn't answer. She was too busy thinking and thinking, crying and crying. When she came to think of it, it was _all _worth it. Immediately, she started to brighten up.

"This will be made into such a pretty wig! It will cost approximately $250 in all! You'll be rich!" Cream cried out, gathering all the hair on the floor with eager hands.

Amy smiled. This is all for you, Sonic, she said to herself. "All I need now is to buy that game for Sonic's laptop!" she cried out, grabbing the money due to her, and running out the door.

* * *

><p>Amy ran across the street to the pavement stall which sold video-games. She knew how much Sonic loved them. She looked at every game, and among them, she found the one she knew Sonic had wanted ever since he was eight.<p>

"Sonic Heroes," she muttered, fingering each of the games at the stall. At last, she found it in between Resident Evil and Skyrim.

"E-Excuse me, mister," she said, to the owner of the stall. "How much is - is this game?"

The owner, who happened to be a certain orange fox with two tails, replied, "Seventy-five dollars. It's rated 9/10 by people all around the world."

"Here, take this," Amy said, as she grasped her money in her cheap purse, and brought it out slowly. Without thinking, she found herself bringing out ALL her money, instead of just seventy-five dollars. She handed it to the fox at the stall.

"Thank you," the boy gasped, breathlessly, "Thank you, madam. Why, this is enough to buy bread and rice for my family!"

Amy smiled, feeling a warmth in her heart, as she slowly walked towards Sonic's house. She heaved a sigh of relief, extremely overjoyed she had raised enough money to get what her boyfriend had wanted since he was young.

All she had to do now, she told herself, was get to Sonic safely, and deliver the game over. She beamed with joy that she had done this, even if she had to make the biggest sacrifice of her life.


	2. Chapter 2

Sonic glanced at his empty worn wallet. He had had it for 10 years now, though for half the time he had it, there was nothing in it. Since the good old days, that was when he was fifteen, he never had anything in his house, except for a worn out sofa, with the stuffing all fallen out five years ago, and a laptop his aunt had given him when he was eleven. Now he was seventeen, and he knew no leisure, or happiness anymore. If not for the angel of his dreams, Amy Rose.

Sonic had been with Amy for a long time now. Before, when he was full of excitement and the adventure spirit, he only thought her as a nuisance. But when he settled down, and understood more, he finally realized she was the only one for him.

It was Christmas Eve, and everyone was busy and happy, all except for him, as it seemed. He lay on his sofa and stared at the sky outside. It was dark blue, with a lovely green light that seemed to make the stars twinkle even more joyfully than ever before.

It usually made an on-looker happy inside to see such beauty, but not for Sonic. No way he was going to feel so happy now.

What troubled him, was money. He had no money, unless a few rusty coins he stored in a cupboard counted. But that wasn't the major problem. It was only the beginning.

You see, he and Amy were dating for a long time. He knew, however, it was time to confess his love in a different way than she would expect. It was Christmas Eve, and he wanted to buy her a gift. He had the perfect present in mind, but he had no money to buy it.

Suddenly, an idea popped up in his mind. He turned around and stared at his laptop. He would sell it! But when he thought twice, no, he wouldn't. It was precious, because his aunt, who had died recently, had given it to him on his eleventh birthday.

But, thinking thrice, maybe he would...

He didn't need to think quartruple times. His aunt's motto was "Life is all about sacrifices" and he would live up to that.

He gently closed his computer lid, and carried it sideways downstairs.

* * *

><p>Sonic looked around him at the merry shops, and even merrier decorations on the lamposts and trees. He looked around for a shop that sold electronics, and at last, he found one far down the sidewalk.<p>

Without thinking twice, he walked into it.

"Can I help you?" the shop keeper asked, in a rather grumpy voice.

"Do you buy computers?" Sonic asked, speaking for the first time in a year.

The shop-keeper didn't answer. He hardly looked a friendly one.

"Looks brand new," he said. "How much?"

"What do you think? You're the one doing the bidding," Sonic replied, mischievously.

"Hmmph," the black and red hedgehog at the counter said, "I'd say about $300."

"Pay up," Sonic said, grinning cheerfully.

Without another word, the hedgehog handed him the money.

"Thank you," Sonic said, walking away from the shop.

But as he was about to go buy a gift for Amy, his eyes met a game stall. Tempted by the games it sold, he felt himself moving slowly towards it.

Looking over to the PC games, he saw SONIC HEROES!

He was immediately tempted to buy the game, and rent his computer back. He even walked back to the electronics shop.

But he took a hold of himself, and turned around, ignoring the temptations. Amy was more important to him than anything else in the world. He sped away from the shop, hoping he wouldn't lay eyes on it again.

Finally, he found the shop Amy used to love before everyone got bankrupt. It was called, "Expose Yourself Beauty Salon." It wasn't really THAT much of a salon, because it sold fashion products as well. But that was what made the girls like it more. Of course, assuming they ignore the poorly white-washed walls and pieces of scraped paint on the floor.

For the first time in his life, Sonic found himself walking into his most hated, most NIGHTMARISH shop of his life...

* * *

><p>At the counter was a flirty girl who looked extremely rich. She had makeup on, and wore scores of bangles, earings and necklaces, not to mention, bracelets. However, her assistant looked very poor. She was nothing like the owner indeed. She didn't even know the owner was into thievery, and the sort.<p>

"Hi," the rich girl said. She introduced herself and her assistant, "I'm Rouge, and this is Blaze." Her assistant didn't even say "Hi."

"So," Rouge began again, "Can I help you?"

"Quit the flirty thing. You're creeping me out," Sonic said. Rouge was taken aback. "Oh? And why, should I do that? Few who lay eyes on me can resist my charm," she said.

Sonic ignored her. "Have you got this new hairband design in stock? I mean, it's the newest fashion product in France, and any shop who does not have it is late," he said, to the assistant.

"Y-Yes," Blaze said, rather shyly.

"The limited edition too. No shop else has it, Mr. Latecomer," Rouge said, winking at Sonic.

Sonic made a face at her, before speaking again, "How much?"

"Fifty dollars," Blaze replied, smiling nervously.

"THAT EXPENSIVE?" Sonic asked.

"Limited Edition, latecomer," Rouge laughed.

"What's so LE about it anyway?" Sonic asked, putting the questoin he meant to ask two minutes ago to action.

"You know, comes with a hand mirror, Elizabeth Arden face powder, perfume, and the rest is all etc." Blaze said, speaking too quickly for Sonic to understand.

"What was that again?" Sonic asked, confused.

"It's LE," Blaze replied, before walking away.

"So, are you buying it, or not?" Rouge asked.

"Amy would like this, I'm sure," Sonic thought. "She told me before she always wanted to buy this new design."

"I'll take it," he proposed. He dropped his money onto the counter table. "I'll get it," Blaze said.

She was about to go to the main room of the shop, but Sonic stopped her, saying, "Nah, let Rouge get it." He mockingly imitated Rouge's voice as he said, "Few can resist her charms."

"Humph," Rouge snorted, as she went to fetch the product.

Meanwhile, Sonic placed all his $300 on the counter table. "Take it! Quickly! Before Mrs. Bug-eyed comes back!" he whispered.

"Sure I need money, but seriously, keep it," Blaze whispered back.

"I don't need it anyway. As long as I get a present for Amy, I'm satisfied. Besides, you need it more than I do," Sonic said, and he waited impatiently for Rouge to come back.

When she did come back, he snatched the so-called "Limited Edition Product" and ran straight out the door.

"Sheesh, what a douchebag that hedgehog is," Rouge snapped.

"Douchebag?" Blaze asked, staring starry-eyed out the window. "No, I think he's quite nice."

* * *

><p>"I've done it!" Sonic shouted aloud. He felt incredibly happy he had indeed. Now, all he had to do was get to Amy's house in time. "Man, what a sacrifice," he thought, "Well, life IS all about sacrifices, or so says my late aunt Speedstar."<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

"Sonic!" Amy cried out, "At last!" Her heart literally danced for joy.

"Oh, I thought I'd never make it to you," she said, running to hug her boyfriend. There were tears of joy in her eyes as she said this.

"I did everything I could to get you a present, Sonic," she said, laughing and crying at the same time.

"AMY?" Sonic asked, jumping back in horror. "What happened to your hair?"

"My hair?" Amy asked. She turned around shamelessly. "I sold it."

"Why? Why the heck would you do that?" Sonic asked.

"To raise money for your present," Amy said. She didn't seem the least sad, or gloomy at all.

From a small bag, she whipped out the game she had bought for Sonic's laptop.

Sonic stared at it, open-eyed.

"Is that - Sonic Heroes?" he asked, almost speechlessly.

"Yes," Amy said, "I knew you liked it so much, so I bought it for your computer."

"Oh but Amy!" Sonic said. "I _SOLD _my computer!"

"What?" Amy asked, horrified. "Why? Oh Sonic! I thought I had the perfect gift for you!"

"You did," Sonic said. "But I sold my laptop to buy a gift for you."

Amy gasped when she saw the gift Sonic had bought for her.

"Oh Sonic!" she gave Sonic a massive hug. "I love you so much!"

"I love you too, Amy," Sonic said.

"But what are we going to do with our presents, now we can't use them?" Amy asked.

"Well, your hair will grow back, I guess," Sonic said.

Amy scratched her head, deep in thought. "Who needs them?" she said. "I've already had my gift, and better still, _you _were the one who gave it to me."

"And what gift is that?" Sonic asked, confused.

"The Gift of Love!"


End file.
